‘Good rats’ got wooden cheese in mailbox

Retired Schenectady schools carpenter Gregory Zannitto provided the first glimpse in the Steven Raucci trial of the former facility head’s alleged vindictiveness and control he wielded over his workers.

Zannitto testified in Schenectady County Court this morning that after Raucci became the boss around 2003 or 2004, he would talk to his staff about good rats and bad rats. Bad rats were those who wouldn’t tell Raucci everything they were doing or everything else staff was saying. Good rats were those who told on others. And the reward for being a good rat? Zannitto fashioned a piece of wood to look like cheese, and a good rat would find the wooden cheese in his mailbox.

Zannitto testified he didn’t remember why he made the cheese, that he did it as a joke.

Also, if someone did something minor wrong – like forget their cell phone at home, or forget to bring their facility keys to work – Raucci would make them write it on a board in the office sometimes every day for weeks in a row as punishment.

Testimony also included Zannitto recalling about a CSEA confidence vote about Raucci’s union leadership that was held sometime in 2006. Voters were told the ballots were secret. But Zannitto testified that Raucci would bring up names at morning meetings of those who had previously voted against him.

Zannitto recounted a specific incident in which he fought with Raucci around 1995. Zannitto wasn’t specific about what the fight was about (it appeared to have something to do with Raucci being upset about which employees were working with whom).

“He said, ‘I can get even with your family anytime I want,'” Zannitto testified.

Zannitto said Raucci spit in his face, and then Zannitto spit at the back of Raucci’s head as he walked away. Raucci grabbed Zannitto to begin fighting him, but then boss Bob Rossi intervened. Later that night, Raucci showed up at Zannitto’s house and Zannitto’s wife let him in.

Zannitto recalled how afraid he was that Raucci was inside his home and was seemingly surveying it. The retired carpenter said he took a handful of Tylenol with Codeine that night, thinking if he himself were out of the way Raucci would leave his wife and four children alone.

Zannitto’s testimony continues after the jury comes back from lunch break at 1:45 p.m.